


Something Else

by jirit



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, rated T for the death related content, this is supposed to be a fun read not angsty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-22 03:56:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20867807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jirit/pseuds/jirit
Summary: Grim Reaper!Jeongyeon x Ghost!Nayeon AUWARNING: Major Character DeathBut don't worry, she doesn't really leave – much to Jeongyeon's dismay.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy October!
> 
> I wanted to at least start posting something during Halloween month, so this fic is about the ~adventures~ (not really) of Jeongyeon, a Grim Reaper, and Nayeon, a ghost that doesn't leave her alone.
> 
> I really mean this to be a fun, silly read, and hope you enjoy it!

_[Present day]_

Being a Grim Reaper wasn’t easy.

Yes, these days had some advantages regarding how long someone could live and, with the advent of penicillin and all that, it could be considerably less messy. And yes, things could have been difficult 150 years ago, not to mention the last 500 or so before that, when it became so crazy she even had to go overseas for a while to help her coworkers with the demand, all thanks to some rats. But with the population growing and humans seeming keen on finding more and more ways to inflict harm on each other and on nature – usually by using the same science that improved their lives –, present times weren’t exactly a playground. Not for humans and certainly not for supernatural beings responsible for helping their souls follow their path after their time among the living had come to an end.

There was also the factor, nowadays, of the dead wanting to know the details of what was going on, and having a hard time accepting they were soon to be gone from this world. Maybe it was because centuries ago people didn’t have as many options to avoid dying of diarrhea at the age of 35 as they do now, but Jeongyeon couldn’t remember them asking as many questions as they do today. Back then, it tended to be simply around the lines of “oh look, here comes the sweet embrace of death”, and all was said and done. And no one was really shocked to die and see a Grim Reaper ready to take – guide – your soul away. It was rather expected.

But now... now Jeongyeon had all sorts of explanations to deliver, and a lot of convincing to do, and it could be exceptionally tiring.

Being immortal doesn’t mean you don’t need things like food and rest. It just means you can go longer periods of time without them. And, if said periods become way too long even in the face of immortality, it also means you will spend a great deal of eternity feeling miserable.

That was why, after a particularly long work day, Jeongyeon was glad to be able to come back to the small flat she had been renting for the last century, and just flop herself on the sofa and close her eyes.

It wasn’t that she needed to live in the plane of the mortal, though. She could simply go back to where the Death Department was located and spend her time around there doing whatever until her services were needed again. But it was way easier, at least in her opinion, to just to stay close to where the work would have to be done, and moving too much through dimensions always left her feeling a bit nauseous, anyway. Not to mention the food here was way nicer.

“It’s really touching that your mother and your grandmother lived here as well, isn’t it?”, the landlady who lived downstairs, a young woman called Kim Dahyun, would say to her sometimes. 

Jeongyeon knew that passing for human in a more congruent way would require her to change flats from time to time to avoid suspiciousness, but she really liked the place, and moving out always demanded too much effort.

She guessed Dahyun would probably be impressed by genetics if she had ever seen a picture of who was supposed to be Jeongyeon’s mother a few decades ago, considering how much they looked like they were same person – which made perfect sense, since being the same person was exactly the case.

And that’d be it. Genetics. No one would be wondering if a non-aging being had been occupying the building all these years or not. No need to pack her things every fifteen years and find somewhere else to go.

It was nice, having a place she could call home, where she could be at ease and always let her mind wander as much as needed to allow her energies to recharge.

“Jeongyeon.”

Well, almost always.

“_What_?” Jeongyeon did her best to concentrate the highest amount of annoyance she could on that single word.

She didn’t turn to see who was calling her, because she could recognise that voice anywhere. It had been pestering her for almost two decades now. Well, not only the voice, the whole thing. That is, as whole as it is possible to call a ghost.

A ghost that was now moving to sit beside her on the sofa.

A ghost that was also, she knew even without looking, pouting at her.

“I still have hope,” started the ghost, and Jeongyeon tried to make her mind focus on something else and just pretend she was alone in the room, already knowing it wasn’t going to work. It never did. “That one day you’re going to see me and stop pretending you’re not happy about it.”

Jeongyeon finally decided to turn and face the source of her exasperation.

“What are you saying? There have been plenty of moments where I was genuinely happy to see you.” The ghost’s eyes widened a little at Jeongyeon’s words. “Remember last week, when I came from work and met you wandering around the ground floor?”

“I wasn’t _wandering_. I was petting the new neighbor’s cat. It always manages to find me.” Yes, what people say about cats and dogs being able to sense and see the spirits of the dead is actually true. And this specific ghost seemed to be exceptionally liked by them. 

“Yeah, well. You remember.”

“I do.” The ghost seemed to be somewhere between confused and expectant.

Jeongyeon tried to look solemn. “I was truly happy to see you there. It meant you were _out_ of the flat.”

A grimace was fully directed towards her.

One might think it would be a terrible sight, a ghost grimacing at you. It can be, sometimes, especially if it’s a soul that belonged to a bad tempered person. But this one grimace just consisted of a nose scrunch, and round cheeks looking even rounder. It made Jeongyeon want to smile for a millisecond before she remembered she was supposed to be annoyed.

There is, in fact, a considerable amount of misconceptions that go around regarding ghosts. Despite of what common knowledge would say, they aren’t semi-transparent, pearly entities that go floating around and scaring people. Well, nothing can really stop them from doing these things if that’s how they decide to occupy their death, but to people – or people-shaped beings, which was Jeongyeon’s case – that can see them, they just look like a regular human, only a little more bored than usual and wearing clothes that don’t really match the current fashion trend, depending on when and how they died.

Apart from that, ghosts could be easily mistaken for the living, if the living could see them on a regular basis. Or if Grim Reapers weren’t able to naturally identify not quite departed souls that were actually unfinished work, be it theirs or someone else’s.

And this ghost, that had long dark hair, tended to display a cheerful smile at most times and went by the name of Im Nayeon, was Jeongyeon’s first and hopefully only failure at completing her job.

Nayeon was supposed to leave to the unworldly plan when she was 23, having died in the flat next door all those years ago. She had been diagnosed with a heart condition a few years before that, and informed by the doctor that her chances of living beyond the age of 20 were null. So the inevitability of her early passing, although not easily accepted, was expected by herself and her family. In the end, she even got a 3 year bonus, as she liked to say, and life followed as usual, more or less.

Until one night her heart was beating, and then it wasn’t.

Jeongyeon still remembered very well how it all went. Not only the precise moment Nayeon profusely refused to follow to the Other Side no matter how much Jeongyeon insisted she did, but everything that came after that.

Now, all those years later, the ghost version of that 23 year-old girl was sitting by her side and probably giving a retort to that comment of hers, but Jeongyeon wasn’t listening.

So she had managed to focus on something else and avoid whatever the ghost was saying, after all. 

Only Jeongyeon hadn’t done it on purpose. She was led to it after getting distracted by that nose scrunch and those round cheeks, and thinking about how no grimace should have the right to look that adorable, and then being flooded by memories that revolved around it all. Which meant she was avoiding Nayeon by being absorbed in thoughts about, and Jeongyeon wanted to kick herself for it, Nayeon.

That, to be quite honest, was exactly what these almost two decades of a ghost and a Grim Reaper constantly dealing with each other’s presence seemed to be consisted of: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Jeongyeon’s never-ending tendency of having Nayeon on her mind at all times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongyeon is unhappy about her next assignment and Jihyo can't really do anything about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: talks about death
> 
> (not meant to be heavy, but who knows)

_[Almost twenty years ago]_

Jeongyeon sighed in discontempt when she saw the name in the file that instructed her next assignment.

_ Im Nayeon_.

That name was the reason she was currently trying to argue with Jihyo, the leader of the group of Grim Reapers for the district Jeongyeon was a part of, about the implications of guiding the soul of someone you knew.

Well, _ knew _ was probably too strong a word to define it. She didn’t _ know _ Im Nayeon.

They were neighbours. Had been for the past four years, since the Ims started renting the flat next door.

The two of them first met on the second day after the family moved in, when Jeongyeon was leaving for work and Nayeon also was on her way to somewhere – Jeongyeon had never asked. The fact was, the woman saw her, aimed a big smile at her, stated that she had just started living in the building and, while they both headed downstairs, introduced herself. Jeongyeon wished her welcome and a nice day, and proceeded to go on a direction Nayeon didn’t follow when they reached the sidewalk.

Before she could walk long, that one day to be familiar voice was reaching out to her again.

“Wait! I didn’t catch your name!”

Jeongyeon kept herself from slapping her own forehead. Of course, even after centuries, she would forget the basics of meeting a new person, one that she would inevitably keep seeing around since they lived in the same place. Embarrassing.

But when she turned to look at Nayeon, who was still standing in front of their building without a hint of having moved, there was no sign of being offended, or even prone to make fun of Jeongyeon for forgetting to do such a simple thing. She looked genuinely interested in receiving that piece of information that hadn’t been vocalised, and a smile was there to be seen on her face.

It made the Grim Reaper feel better.

“Jeongyeon. My name, that is.” She didn’t raise her voice much while saying it, what made her worry that Nayeon may not have heard her, considering they were considerably far from each other on the sidewalk. 

Her worries were quickly gone, though, because Nayeon’s smile immediately widened.

“Nice name! Well, see you around, Jeongyeon.” Jeongyeon’s name came accompanied by a cheerful wave of Nayeon’s hand, and the woman finally turned and started following towards wherever she was headed.

Jeongyeon absentmindedly watched her go for a few seconds, then remembered she also had somewhere to be and resumed her walking.

After that, they kept meeting from time to time around the building. There were also times where weeks would pass and there would be no sign of Nayeon. And, following those, days where Jeongyeon would see her looking pale and tired were quite frequent. No matter the circumstances, however, Nayeon would always greet her with a smile, and constantly compliment her hair, or her clothes, or seem to think about something to say, give up on it and just leave Jeongyeon with a “see you, then!”. In the end, they never really had a proper conversation, and Jeongyeon, who had a secret identity to conceal, never truly minded it, which was the usual for her when it came to humans that met her on a regular basis and could start getting suspicious at some point.

And that was why Jeongyeon could not say she _ knew _ Im Nayeon. They were acquaintances, and nothing more.

Despite all that, in order to convince Jihyo to let her be reassigned to any other case, _ knowing _ was how she named it. She denoted all the troubles that could come from the situation, since Nayeon _ knew _ her and was going to be shocked not only about being dead, but also about her neighbour being a Grim Reaper, which could make it all take twice the time it normally did when a complete stranger was assigned to do the guidance.

Jeongyeon, of course, told herself those were the only reasons for it. If anyone was interested, not even a bit of her aversion to the idea came from knowing that humans, at least the present day ones, don’t usually deal well with death, and seeing a sort of familiar face going through sadness and confusion could never be easier than doing the same regarding someone you had never seen before.

But it was no use.

“Sorry, Jeong.” If the nickname could be insufficient to indicate that Jihyo understood Jeongyeon’s discomfort, the softness in her voice could not. She really was sorry, and that was how Jeongyeon knew she was doomed. “Bus incident and all. Everyone else is tied. And you know the amount of bureaucracy involved in requiring a reassignment.”

“I do.” Simply thinking about the paperwork she would have to deal with made Jeongyeon shiver. There was no winning this one. She was defeated and not exactly feeling gleeful about it, which Jihyo obviously noticed.

“Were you that close? You and—” Jihyo took a peek at the file in Jeongyeon’s hand so she could complete the sentence. “Nayeon.”

“Would it make a difference if we were?”

Jihyo looked at her with those big, serious eyes full of empathy, but the answer was as sharp as it was honest.

“No.”

Jeongyeon almost laughed at the straightforwardness.

“Yeah. Didn’t think it would.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s okay. It’s just... inconvenient.” Jeongyeon checked her watch. “I should get going, then.”

“So should I. Three minutes and the bus will be there,” said Jihyo. And then, after pausing and giving Jeongyeon’s arm a reassuring squeeze, she was gone.

If she considered the whole scenario, Jeongyeon was actually glad she didn’t have to be concerned with this case everyone else in the district seemed to be involved. Bus incidents were usually quite messy, with loads of souls requiring your aid at the same time, leading to a lot of rushing around going on. Having to manage the crossing of only one person was almost a holiday, compared to it.

Still, she couldn’t stop feeling uneasy about her own assignment, no matter how much she told herself it wasn’t a big deal, and that if she just proceeded as always when approaching Nayeon everything would turn out fine.

Maybe these worries were there simply because Jeongyeon was sensing _ fine _ was not exactly how it would end up going, or maybe they were also related to the fact that she was way too aware of her own soft heart and knew she would be left feeling sorry about Nayeon’s life being over this soon. Even Grim Reapers agreed that no one should have to face Death having spent only a short period of time among the living, after all.

But that was just how human life was.

Sighing once again, Jeongyeon took a final look at that name in the file and, following Jihyo’s moves, vanished into thin air to appear where work demanded her to go, less ready than she would have liked to be to deal with Nayeon’s eyes opening awake to a new step of her existence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And sorry it was, again, a short chapter.
> 
> Hopefully the next one, where we'll see how Jeongyeon's seemingly doomed assignment goes, will be a bit longer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongyeon comes to help Nayeon's soul follow to the Other Side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Major Character Death
> 
> But don't worry, she doesn't really leave – much to Jeongyeon's dismay.

_[Almost twenty years ago]_

“I don’t remember inviting you into my room.” 

Nayeon’s voice expressed the confusion that came from a drowsiness that, she was soon to find out, was both the result of a different kind of waking up, and the surprise of seeing her tall dark-haired neighbour standing in the corner of her bedroom.

In Jeongyeon’s experience, this part was always at least a little awkward, since it’s really hard not to sound like a lunatic when you’re supposed to approach the deceased and say something along the lines of hello, you’re dead and, as much as it looks like it, I didn’t break into your house in the middle of the night, I’m just here to do my job and help you cross to the Other Side.

There was really no running away from the explaining, but before Jeongyeon could open her mouth to tell Nayeon what was happening, the woman continued talking, her words coming out at a quick pace.

“Oh my God, did I?” She gaped at Jeongyeon. “Did I drink? I don’t remember drinking,” and then her eyes went wide as if she had realised something. She looked down at her clothes, seeming relieved to see herself wearing her bright green pyjamas.

For some reason, Nayeon looked back at Jeongyeon with a smirk finding its way to her lips, as if ready to throw a mischievous comment at her. But then she suddenly stopped, eyes darting back down, finally processing something else she had seen – or not seen, to be more precise – when checking on her clothes: she was considerably see-through, which, she was certain, wasn’t something a human being was supposed to be.

The thing is, while ghosts are not see-through, the newly departed soul, in its first moments out of the body, is. It’s only when it gets used to this new setting of existence that it gets stabilised and assumes an aspect that looks material.

And if that wasn’t enough of a clue to help Nayeon realise what she was going through, what she noticed next certainly was: she had been on a sort of sitting position on her bed, and someone that really resembled herself was lying bellow her – or so it seemed, since the lowered part of Nayeon’s now slightly dematerialised shape was still occupying the exact same space as the much more materially consistent version of her.

Jeongyeon could almost hear the poor woman’s mind finally going _ ding!_.

And then Nayeon – that is, the spirit version of Nayeon – screamed and jumped out of bed, covering her mouth as she stared at her own lifeless body.

There was a heavy silence that followed, and Jeongyeon, who decided to give Nayeon a moment, also kept quiet. She knew, from so many centuries of doing this job, that seeing your own dead body could be the worst moment of the whole situation.

“This is the worst nightmare I’ve ever had,” Nayeon’s voice was finally heard again, and much to Jeongyeon’s surprise, her tone was closer to annoyed than anything. When she turned to face Jeongyeon, the annoyance became clear as day. “And you!”

Jeongyeon straightened her shoulders, startled.

“...Yes?” She was used to souls thinking it was all a dream and doing some not so nice facial expressions, but not to being glared at like _ this _ by them. Especially not by Nayeon, who had always been nice and polite to her.

Nayeon took a deep breath. Or would have done, if the spiritual form of her body could breathe. “As hot as you might be, this is definitely not the kind of dream I’d like you to be in.”

“_What_?”

Because, really. _What?_

Jeongyeon was incredulous. Being glared at by a soul was something, but being called _ hot_? And not by any soul, but by _ Nayeon’s_. And what did it mean there was a specific kind of dream in which she wanted Jeongyeon to show up? 

“And this feels way too real,” continued Nayeon, ignoring Jeongyeon’s reaction. She went back to staring at her body. That is, the physical one. “Why haven’t I woken up already? It’s supposed to happen when you get scared, isn’t it? And now I’m not even scared anymore. Just annoyed.” She glanced back at the disconcerted woman-shaped being she didn’t yet know was a Grim Reaper. “And uncomfortable. Come on.”

Jeongyeon cleared her throat, deciding to forget that other comment that had caused her face to feel unusually warm.

“Actually,” she tried. “You’re not dreaming.”

Nayeon scoffed. “Yeah, right. It’s one of those dreams where you see yourself as if you’re watching a movie, isn’t it? Had dozens of those. Only this one’s way creepier.”

At least it was going more or less as usual, thought Jeongyeon. The best she could do would be throwing the reality at the woman and save them both some time, as she had been doing every time someone was refusing to accept what they were seeing.

But she didn’t blame them for taking it for a nightmare, especially the ones that died during their sleep. It did make some sort of sense, thinking it was all a dream. You go to bed and then get up to see your unmoving form still lying there while you’re sure you’re on your way to put your slippers on and make yourself a cup of coffee. A bit unexpected, it can be.

Yes, being straightforward was her best option.

“Look. I’m being serious. It feels real because it is,” started Jeongyeon. She wished Nayeon would be looking at her when she delivered what was coming next, but the spirit kept turned to the bed and what was lying there, as if expecting to see herself awakening at any moment. It was going to be like this, then, no eye contact. Maybe it was for the best. “You died in your sleep a few moments ago. Heart failure. I’m sorry.”

Jeongyeon waited, staring at the back of Nayeon’s still see-through head. No response came, but there was no way Nayeon hadn’t heard her, so she decided on explaining why exactly she was there.

“I came to, uh, help you follow to the Other Side.”

Again, silence followed.

“I’m a Grim Reaper,” she hoped that emphasising this bit would make the whole thing as clear as possible.

At this, Nayeon finally turned from the bed to fully face Jeongyeon, crossing her arms. They stood there staring at each other for a few seconds, until Nayeon spoke.

“You look human,” she stated plainly, not caring to pretend she believed Jeongyeon in the slightest.

Some sort of relief came to Jeongyeon, though. At least now she wasn’t being ignored. Maybe this was finally going somewhere.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “Lack of creativity of the design team, I suppose.”

Nayeon evaluated the answer, not seeming to realise Jeongyeon was trying to lighten up the mood – which, considering the current circumstances, was perfectly understandable, Jeongyeon had to remind herself.

Nayeon then tilted her head to the side a bit, as if looking for something that should be around Jeongyeon. “Shouldn't you be carrying a scythe?”

Jeongyeon supressed a cringe. Of course that subject would come up this time, too. Someone always reminded her of the bad decisions her superiors had once made.

There was indeed a moment, a few centuries ago, when the Death Department thought it would be a good idea to have the Grim Reapers wearing long black robes and wielding scythes. Since people had started going around believing those were the choices of soul-guiding entities in terms of fashion and work equipment, it was supposed to make the process of realisation easier to the dead. However, it all proved to be more inconvenient than helpful, the cutting instruments being heavy to carry and those specific clothes constantly getting in the way, in a combination that could often lead to accidents; Momo, for example, almost lost a toe more than once, often thanks to tripping over the rem of her robes. That was why, after a huge amount of complaints, it was decided that the Grim Reapers would get rid of the scythes and wear whatever they liked on duty. The mortals, on the other hand, never seemed to forget this sad choice of objects and garments, and to this day it consisted in one of the most common representations of death.

But Jeongyeon thought it would take too much time telling Nayeon the whole thing, so she went for the summed up version of the story.

“Gave up on those long ago. Bit of a nuisance.” She was grateful that, hearing her short answer, Nayeon didn’t look very interested in investigating the subject further.

“Whatever,” dismissed Nayeon, probably considering the lack of a scythe a not so relevant topic, after all. Still, it felt like the questioning was not over, which was a good thing. If Nayeon was asking questions, then it probably meant she was not _ that _ sure it was all a dream anymore. “Let’s say I’m really dead and you really are a Grim Reaper.” She still didn’t sound convinced, and seemed to be evaluating Jeongyeon from head to toe while squinting at her in suspicion. “Shouldn’t you look like, I don’t know, someone close to me? Seriously, when it comes to Jeongyeon, it’s really not that deep…”

Jeongyeon noticed that, if there was something about her that wasn’t _ that _ deep, then at least some depth was supposed to be there to be found. She wasn’t sure what it meant, though, and the fact that Nayeon assumed she was a shapeshifter didn’t help enlighten the conversation, so she decided, once again, on expressing it in one single word.

“What?” 

Nayeon looked at her impatiently. “Don’t you assume the shape of someone the dead person would feel, uh, comfortable to be with? To make things easier?”

“No. This is what I always look like.”

Once again, Nayeon scoffed. “Yeah. As I thought, there’s no way this isn’t a very lucid nightmare.”

“Do you usually have lucid dreams?”

“No…”

“And this would be an exceptionally lucid one, wouldn’t it? You could count your hair strands one by one, if you wanted to.” Nayeon didn’t answer, and Jeongyeon kept going, somewhat impatient herself. “Look, I understand you didn’t expect to die this soon but—”

“Oh no, I’ve been expecting it for the past three years. Diagnosed with a weak heart and so on.”

“Oh. I see. You didn’t expect there would be an Afterward.”

“Nah. Can’t say I didn’t find the idea questionable, but I always assumed it was likely that there would be _ something_.”

“Then—“

“You’re really that clueless?”

Jeongyeon probably had a expression that indicated to Nayeon that she was, in fact, _that_ clueless, because the woman rolled her eyes and kept going without waiting for an answer. Not that Jeongyeon had one coming.

“What would you think if your neighbour showed up in your bedroom out of the blue telling you that you were dead and that she was not human, but a Grim Reaper?”

“I’m immortal,” Jeongyeon pointed out, confused. “And even if I weren’t, I’d probably recognise her from work.”

Nayeon rolled her eyes again. She seemed to be very good at it. “You know what I mean.”

Jeongyeon did. Now.

“Oh. Right,” she rushed, slightly embarrassed. “Listen, I was sure this detail would come in the way, but _ that’s _ what you find most shocking about all this?”

Nayeon shrugged.

“_Really_?”, insisted Jeongyeon. As she had emphatically told Jihyo, she had indeed been expecting the revelation of her true identity to be a main factor in complicating this assignment. What she hadn’t expected was this coming as more shocking to Nayeon than being dead and facing the answer to a great deal of the mysteries of death that had troubled humans since pretty much the beginning of time.

“Like it’s _ my _ fault!” Nayeon’s annoyance was coming back, and Jeongyeon was glad she managed not to flinch. “You’ve lived next door looking all interesting and nice all those years and now I’m not supposed to be shocked when you tell me you’re someone that goes around... collecting souls or something?!”

“I don’t _ collect _ souls, I just help them follow Ahead,” and there’s no reason I couldn’t still be interesting and nice while doing that, Jeongyeon wanted to add, but considered it wasn’t the best time to be offended. “And I couldn’t exactly go around telling the neighbours that I happened to be a death related supernatural being, could I? I guess you understand why.”

Nayeon, whose shape was now considerably less see-through, stared angrily at her, clearly showing that yes, she understood her reasons, but didn’t want to admit it.

Knowing there was another awkward silence on its way, Jeongyeon decided to just tell Nayeon she wasn’t exactly happy about all this, either. 

“If it’s any consolation, you’re not the only one that’s having a hard time. Although yours is way worse than mine, obviously,” she hurried to add, hoping Nayeon wouldn’t consider her an insensitive bastard. “I even asked to be replaced, so someone you didn’t know would be involved and less surprises would happen. But there was no way, and here I am. I’m sorry.”

“Someone I didn’t know? There’s more than one Grim Reaper?”

“Yes. Way more.” By this point Jeongyeon was trying to come together with why Nayeon always seemed to focus on the least relevant parts of everything she said.

“That’s just unlucky, then.”

“I guess.”

“Are you here to judge me based on my sins and stuff?”

“No. I don’t judge anyone. I just help you cross.”

“After that I’ll be judged?”

“That’s for you to find out.”

“And then what? What comes next?”

“That’s also for you to find out.”

“In the end you’re quite useless, aren’t you?”

Jeongyeon’s eyebrows raised indignantly before she could restrain herself. She was starting to wonder if she had always considered Nayeon a sweet and polite person solely because they never really talked to each other for more than five minutes, keeping her from the opportunity of being exposed to this seemingly belligerent side of the woman. However, she tried reminding herself that Nayeon was going through a difficult moment and probably still feeling deceived about the unworldly neighbour thing, and chose not to come up with any kind of retort.

“Well, whatever,” Nayeon said and, since Jeongyeon wouldn’t say anything about being called useless, kept going with the inquiries. “What about my family? Can I see them before I go?”

“Before you go? You believe me now, then?” 

“Maybe.” Nayeon was clearly reluctant. 

Jeongyeon’s mood lifted immediately. _ Maybe _ may not mean much usually but, for this assignment that had been causing her huge amounts of stress since she saw that name in that file, it meant quite a lot. Nayeon was finally cooperating. Everything was going to be fine, and Jeongyeon could stop worrying.

“So? My family?” Nayeon reminded her.

“Right. About that...” Jeongyeon considered the situation and, thanks to the relief that was washing over her, decided to just tell Nayeon the whole details of the procedure straight away. “Officially, you can stay until your body is put to rest. So, yes, you can see your family. They won’t see you, though.” _ Probably _ won’t, at least. Humans that can see the spirits of the dead are not that common.

“Right. I have to go after I’m— my body is buried, then?”

“Yes. Or whatever ritual is chosen to wish you a peaceful crossing.”

“Then what happens if you don’t get a proper one? What if you get lost in a forest and die and no one knows you and you never get your... sending?

“You have a choice either to stay until the ritual is over or not. It’s not a compulsory procedure, staying,” Jeongyeon explained. In fact, most of these souls got tired after a while, gave up on waiting and decided to leave. Some didn’t even bother waiting and just went Ahead straight away. It was never much of an issue.

“Right. I’m staying, then.”

So Nayeon finally believed her and accepted the situation. Jeongyeon wanted to punch the air in celebration of another job about to be well done but, knowing it would be rude, did not. 

“Okay. It’s settled,’ Jeongyeon agreed, trying to sound calm and collected instead of relieved and thrilled. “I’ll be back when it’s over and—”

Nayeon’s eyes grew wide. “Wait, you’re not staying with me?”

Jeongyeon blinked. “What? Through the sending ritual of choice?”

Nayeon nodded affirmatively. Now all the annoyance she had been throwing at Jeongyeon seemed to have disappeared completely. She seemed almost scared. “Can you?”

Jeongyeon strongly believed Nayeon was now seeing Jeongyeon the neighbour, and not Jeongyeon the Grim Reaper who also happened to be the neighbour. Who wanted to have a Grim Reaper by their side, and especially in a situation like this? 

But she also understood Nayeon supposedly not wanting to face it alone. That was why, while she was hoping to offer Jihyo and the others some help with the bus issue in the meantime and then come back when the sending was over, she ended up agreeing with staying.

“Alright. I’ll come with you,” she told Nayeon, who looked at her with eyes full of relief.

* * *

The sunshine wasn’t doing much as the weather kept getting colder, and Jeongyeon shivered when a gust of wind hit the part of the cemetery where she and Nayeon were standing side by side.

Everyone else had already left after the burial, which made them the two last peop— human-shaped beings that were still there. Funnily enough, it was almost like as if they were reproducing the colours of the grass and the gravestones in their clothes: Nayeon in her bright green pyjamas and Jeongyeon in her grey trench coat.

“That’s it, then,” said Nayeon without taking her eyes from her own grave.

Jeongyeon was glad her task was almost over. She was tired, and Nayeon also seemed to be.

“Are you okay?”, she asked Nayeon, and noticed her form was now completely material looking. Jeongyeon considered giving her a few sympathetic pats on the back but, not knowing if such action would be welcomed, chose not to.

“I guess.” 

“Well,” tried Jeongyeon, awkwardly. “We should get going.”

“Should,” repeated Nayeon in a low voice.

“What?”

Nayeon was still not facing her. “You keep saying it as if it’s not a strict obligation. _ Should _ get going. And you said that I could stay _ officially _until the burial was over,” she finally turned to Jeongyeon, looking at her with an expression that was way too close to hopeful. “It all sounds like I don’t really have to go.”

Jeongyeon felt suddenly cold, and this time she was sure it didn’t have to do with the weather. Why was Nayeon coming up with these ideas? Wasn’t it all arranged between them, staying a bit longer and then crossing?

“So I was thinking,” continued Nayeon. “What if I became a ghost?”

Oh no.

Jeongyeon had never mentioned the G word to Nayeon, and she had a perfectly good reason for that. If someone decided to stay as a ghost, it was beyond the Grim Reaper’s right to do anything. But it was also considered work left unfinished, which meant the assigned part had to come back regularly to try and convince the ghost to finally cross, and write reports on the failed attempts, which were known to be the regular deal in these cases.

Not to mention Jeongyeon had never had a ghost to compromise her score at work, and now she seemed about to have a stain on her curriculum. She needed to get these thoughts out of Nayeon’s head before it was too late.

“Look, staying as a ghost is never a good option,” she stated, trying very hard to conceal her building concern and sound casual. “They will let you stay, if you really want to. But that’s only because they suppose one day you’ll see it was a bad choice and leave anyway. Back at the department, it’s seen as punishment, and for a good reason, since it definitely feels like it.”

“Punishment? Why would it feel like punishment?”

“It’s a sad thing, being a ghost. No one will notice you. People you know will also die, one day, and you’ll be left behind. You will feel lonely. And bored.”

If Jeongyeon’s words had some effect on Nayeon, she didn’t let it show. “You said ghosts end up leaving in the end anyway. Here’s your answer: when I get lonely and bored, I leave.”

“It’s not just about boredom and loneliness, though. In time, you’ll start forgetting things. Your memory is not unlimited.”

“Then I can leave when I start forgetting.”

“Why not leave _ now _and save yourself the trouble?” Jeongyeon was sure she now sounded exactly as desperate as she was feeling, but she was too busy trying to get rid of centuries of writing reports about being ignored and probably seen as incompetent by the ghost of her late neighbour to care. 

Nayeon’s answer was bitter. “You said yourself it was too soon.”

“You said yourself you were expecting it.”

“Expecting it, not _ wanting _it!” Nayeon’s voice became rushed, showing she was starting to feel as desperate as Jeongyeon, only for opposite reasons. “And there’s also my family. I will miss them too much. At least here I can see if they’re doing well.”

“You don’t know if you won’t see how they’re doing from the Other Side.”

“Yeah, well, you are not exactly telling me a lot about the Other Side, are you?”

At this, Jeongyeon kept quiet. She really couldn’t offer much on this matter.

That silence seemed to be the final thing Nayeon needed to make up her mind.

“I’m staying,” she announced.

And that was it.

Just by making the decision Nayeon was now, officially, a ghost. Simple like that. So simple that nothing really seemed to have changed.

She still looked exactly like she did a second before deciding on her path. What was different, and could probably only be noticed by Jeongyeon, a Grim Reaper, was that there was a shift in the feeling of being next to Nayeon, one that made it seem that she was somehow anchored to the world, something the soul that is simply there midway its assured crossing to the Other Side doesn’t have.

In fact, not even Nayeon seemed to have noticed something had happened with her existence. With the expression of a student that is supposed to take a test after having skipped classes for three consecutive weeks and forgotten the whereabouts of their textbook, she took a step closer to Jeongyeon, who was currently in a deep state of facepalming. 

“So? What do I do to become a ghost? I guess you have to tell me, since it’s my final word that counts.”

“You don’t need to do anything else,” Jeongyeon told her, thinking to herself bitterly that her superiors should definitely reconsider certain aspects of the regulamentations that currently seemed to make things way too easy for the dead that wanted to stay behind. “You stated your decision. That’s all it takes.”

“Really?!” Nayeon was surprised, probably thinking it would have taken her some sort of dancing in the middle of a circle made of occult symbols to get herself through it. “How do I look, then?”, she asked, taking a swirl in front of Jeongyeon as if she had simply put on a new dress instead of deciding on letting her soul linger on Earth for who knows how long.

“The same,” said Jeongyeon flatly. Not only it was the truth, but it was also now her turn to be irritated, and something told her this feeling wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. And neither was Nayeon.

“I don’t see why you’re looking so annoyed. It really doesn’t feel like a big deal.”

“Yeah. No big deal. Not at all.” Jeongyeon couldn’t stop thinking about the piles of reports she would have to fill from now on, not to mention her now maculated curriculum, so she felt she had the right to show Nayeon her exasperation, even though she was aware that Nayeon obviously had no idea about the responsibilities Grim Reapers had in these situations.

And to think Jeongyeon had been feeling it was all going on the right track… when, in fact, this assignment was doomed from the start. She should have insisted more with Jihyo to be replaced.

Still, now there wasn’t anything she could do. She only wanted to go back to her flat, lay on her bed and eat enough chocolate to leave any human diabetic.

“Actually, there’s just one thing”, said Nayeon, reconsidering her own words. “Will I have to wear these pyjamas forever, as a ghost?”

“Yes.”

“These are not even my favourites,” whined Nayeon, looking somewhat distressed at the thought of never changing clothes again, especially when her pyjamas were of a bright green that would probably make her sick of them after some time.

Jeongyeon couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit avenged. “_Suffering_, as I said.”

“Hm. Not really. It’s a good thing I look cute no matter what I wear.”

With that, she aimed a victorious smile at Jeongyeon.

It was pretty much the same smile Jeongyeon had always found sweet and, _ why not_, even lovely. But now, considering what was happening, and all that was to come, Jeongyeon was sure she would never be able to see it as anything other than infuriating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)
> 
> In the next chapter, we'll see Jeongyeon's first moments of dealing with the now ghost version of her neighbour.


End file.
